Page 68 of The Friend Situation

I don’t know if I can love someone again, but I’d try for her.

A bicyclist zooms past me, pulling me from thoughts I shouldn’t be thinking anyway. I breathe in deeply, focusing on the brief warmth from the winter sun peeking from behind the clouds.

Carlee’s buried deep under my fucking skin. Jogging usually clears my mind, but clarity eludes me as I push westward through the park.

We shouldn’t have crossed that line.

I shouldn’t have kissed her.

I need a vacation, an escape to the middle of nowhere. Adventure calls.

I turn on some music, trying to drown out the intrusive camera clicks of the paparazzi, capturing every move I make as I continue down the path. I keep my eyes down, not meeting anyone who passes me.

All week, I’ve been followed. Easton is growing exhausted by it because he can’t go anywhere without being bombarded. He hates the attention.

It’s not the spotlight or large groups of people that haunt me. It’s silence, intermingling with the fear of being alone.

I quicken my pace, letting my legs carry me forward. Running is my refuge. Each step an escape, and it forces the world to fadeaway. Or at least, it usually does. Kissing Carlee has become my Roman Empire, and thoughts of her invade my mind like a thief in the night.

We pushed our boundaries too far, and our relationship will be defined by what we do now.

Embers sizzle beneath the surface between us, and I haven’t felt the same since that night.

The impulse to text her nearly takes hold, but I keep my restraint intact. I know her strategy too well. I’ve used it before, but I can’t believe it’s working on me. Maybe I’m obsessed with the chase too.

The forbiddance ofwe shouldn’ttugs at me. Maybe we fucking should?

My phone buzzes when I’m fifteen minutes from home, and I blindly answer.

“Calloway,” I say, breathless, pushing myself harder.

“Hi,Calloway. It’s your favorite little sister. Ugh, what are you doing?” Billie’s cheerful voice cuts through my exhaustion.

My week has been hell.

“Running,” I mumble.

“Thank God.” She huffs. “Didn’t want to catch you with your secret girlfriend.”

I ignore her.

“What do you want?” I snap, frustration edging into my tone.

“I need a brunch buddy so I don’t look like a total loser. Harper canceled at the last minute because of an unscheduled business meeting. I’m at the deli around the corner.”

I glance at my watch. “Is fifteen minutes okay?”

“Yep. See you soon.”

The call ends.

I make it there in ten.

The warm air is a welcome relief when I enter the building. I catch sight of Billie, and she waves. Her dark hair is an immaculate bob, not a single hair out of place. Her blue eyes are obscured byoversized sunglasses that shield half of her face. The white baseball cap with our family’s diamond corporation logo embroidered across the top makes her unmissable. I smile, and my little sister beams back. She’s hiding her identity, but it’s unmistakably her.

“Oh, I almost didn’t recognize you,” I sarcastically tell her.

“Shut up,” she says, greeting me with a tight hug. “You always eat the same thing, right?”

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